A Brief History of Cricket
Cricket is definitely one of the most popular sports in the world. The game has an intriguing history.
In the 17th century before cricket reached North England, it was introduced to North America. Cricket was introduced to other parts of the globe in the 18th century. It reached India and West Indies in the first half on the century followed by Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in the early 19th century.
The basic rules of cricket already existed since time immemorial but innovations, such as middle stump, lbw and maximum width of the bat were added in 1774 when the laws of cricket were amended.
The laws of cricket have changed many times throughout its history. It was only in 1774 that laws of cricket were first written. The bats were different from what we use today. They were long curved pieces of wood. Most of the laws of cricket have changed except one that is the length of the pitch of 22 yards.
Earlier, bowlers use to bowl underarm because overarm bowling was initially illegal. John Willes introduced overarm bowling. Christina Willes, sister of John Willes, tried to bowl underarm. However, when her skirt was getting in the way she bowled with her arm slightly higher and this is how overarm bowling is believed to have evolved.
Development of rail network played an important role in the popularity of cricket in the second half if 19th century. It also helped to increase the popularity of the game as the spectators were able to travel longer distances to watch the matches. The early twentieth century marked the growth and spread of cricket. |
Cricket Terminology
All-Rounder: A player who has the ability to bat and bowls both. Can also refer to a batsman/wicket-keeper.
Around-the-wicket: When a bowler bowls with the wicket on the other side of the body to the bowling arm.
All Out: When a batting side has no more player to bat, the state is called 'all-out', or end of the innings.
Appeal: A call by a player to an umpire for a decision on any playing matter. Usually it is 'How's that' by the fielding side, asking umpire to declare a batsman 'out'.
Away-Swinger: A bowling delivery which moves in the air from leg to off, for left-handed batsman it moves from off to leg.
Arm Bowl: Type of bowling by an off-spinner which has little or no spin. Such bowl when bowled by leg-spinner is called 'zooter'
Back Foot: Batsman's footwork when he has placed his center of gravity onto the back foot to play a shot, usually a defensive shot on a rising delivery.
Bails: Two small wooden cylinder-like pieces balanced at the top of three vertical dowels or stumps.
Bat carry: If one of the openers stays at the crease, while all other batsmen are out; it is said that he 'carried the bat'.
Batsman: A player who plays with the help of bat different shots when the ball has been bowled, usually in order to make runs.
Bowler: A player throwing the red, leather ball at the batsman to play, aiming to get him out.
Box: A protector worn by batsman to protect his part of body below the naval (genitals), type of guard, like chest guard or thigh guard.
Beamer: A bowling delivery aimed directly at the body or head of the batsman.
Beaten: When a batsman failed to strike or play the ball, he is said to have been 'beaten' by the bowler's skillful delivery.
Bouncer: A bowling delivery by a fast bowler which is pitched short and rising towards the batsman's head, or at least chest high. Also called short-pitched delivery.
Boundary: Outer limit of playing area, like bowing ring, soccer ground etc.
Break: A slow bowler's delivery which spins to either side after hitting the pitch surface.
Bye: A run not scored by the bat, usually refers when wicket keeper failed to stop the bowling delivery, which allows a batsman to make run/runs, whether bowl connected the bat or not.
Century: When a batsman scored 100 runs in one innings.
Chinaman: Kind of leg-break delivery, when bowled by a left handed bowler.
Call: When both batsmen communicate, in order to refuse or confirm, for making run or runs, usually by shouting "yes", "no", "wait".
Chop: Kind of shot played by a batsman, a form of late cut.
Chucker: Illegal delivery by a bowler when he throws to bowl instead of round-arm bowling according to law.
Creeper: A ball runs along the ground, also known as 'shooter' or 'sneaker'.
Cut: kind of shot by a batsman.
Cover drive: A batting stroke directed towards the cover area.
Deep: When fielder fields near the boundary e.g. Deep Mid-on, Deep Cover, Deep Third Man etc.
Doosra: The bowler delivers the ball with the same finger action as a normal off break but cocks the wrist so that the back of the hand faces the batsman. This gives the ball spin in the opposite direction to that for an off break, causing it to spin from the leg side to the off side to a right-handed batsman.
Duck: When a batsman out without scoring any run.
Duck (Golden): Golden duck is referred when batsman out on zero on the very first delivery.
Declaration: When a captain decides to close of an innings when he still has wickets in hand i.e. batsmen still remaining to bat.
Delivery: Act of bowling.
Drive: A stroke by batsman like 'cover-drive', 'on-drive'....
Edge: Outermost perimeter of the bat. Also refer to a bowler's bowl when only just struck by the edge of the bat.
Extras: Runs added to a team's total which are not created by the bat/batsman e.g. bys, leg-byes, no-ball, wide-ball etc.
Field: Playing area, also refer to a fielder or positioning of the fielders.
Fine Leg: Field position whether short-leg or long-leg.
Full Toss: Bowler's ball which doesn't hit the pitch before reaching the batsman.
Finger Spin: A method which helps slow bowler to spin the ball with the help of finger/fingers.
Flight: Kind of slow ball which has loop in the air, dropped sharply onto the pitch in order to deceive the batsman.
Full Blooded: Batting stroke played with full physical power.
Good Length: In terms of length this bowling delivery pitches in such a position that a batsman faces difficulty to play stroke. Usually he plays it defensively.
Googly: Leg break bowling to right-arm batsman, it appear that the ball will spin leg to off or middle to off, but instead it will spin in opposite directions to deceive the batsman.
Grubber: A delivery after pitching the surface go very low.
Half Volley: A bowling delivery which pitches very near the bat that batsman has to strike the ball immediately.
Hook: A batting stroke when played on side off the short pitched delivery.
Howzat: "How's That?" An appeal by the fielding side to the umpire asking for dismissal of a batsman.
Innings: Time period for batting by a team or individual.
King Pair: A batsman is out on first ball for zero in both innings, he begged King Pair.
Late Cut: With a horizontal bat a wristy stroke played outside the off-stump in slip area.
Long Leg: Fielding position, near the boundary, behind the wicket.
LBW: Leg Before Wicket. Method of dismissal credited to the bowler. When Batsman failed to play the delivery and ball struck on his leg which is just in front of the wicket. It is up to umpire judgment to give the batsman out or not under certain cricket law.
Leg Break: On pitching a ball turns from leg to off.
Leg Cutter: A fast leg-break bowled by the seam bowler.
Long Leg: Fielding position near the boundary on the leg-side. A very deep fine-leg.
Long-Off, Long-On: Fielding positions near the boundary on either side of the sightscreen at the bowler's end.
Maiden Over: An over in which no run is scored by the batsman.
Night Watchman: When a wicket falls shortly before close of play, a low-order batsman sent in to play out time, in order to prevent a better batsman risking his wicket.
No Ball: An illegal delivery under certain law. And bowler has to bowl extra. A run is added to the score.
Off-Break: When a ball turns from off to leg.
Off-Cutter: Fast off-break bowling cutting the fingers across the seam of the ball.
Off-Drive: Drive on the front foot which hits the ball between cover and mid-off.
On-Drive: Drive which hits the ball between mid-wicket and mid-on.
Pitch: A specially prepared area, 5 feet width and 22 yards long, between the two sets of stumps.
Point: A close fielding position square with the wicket on the off-side.
Pull: A force-full stroke sending the ball between mid-on and mid-wicket.
Run: Unit of scoring.
Run-out: A method of dismissal not credited to the bowler. When a batsman running for a run and failed to reach the stumps in time, meanwhile a fielder, by throwing the ball, hit the stumps.
Seam: The stitching around the circumference of the ball that fasten together its leather segments.
Seamer: A bowler (medium or fast) who use the seam to deviate the ball when it pitches.
Shooter: A ball does not rise off the ground after pitching.
Short-Leg: A close fielding positions on the leg side, it could be forward short-leg, backward or square.
Slip: Fielding position on the off-side near the wicket-keeper.
Square-Cut: A batsman's stroke which dispatches the ball just backward of point.
Stumps: Three wooden sticks when surmounted by the bails.
Sweep: Another stroke played off the front foot from the crouch position on the leg side.
Tail: Lower order of players in the team of 11, who are not selected for their specialized batting skill.
Test Match: A contest of two innings per side in 5 days between the two full members of the ICC (International Cricket Conference)
Tie: Match ended-up with equal runs scored by both sides and with the team batting last having completed its innings.
Top Spin: Leg-break bowling when ball gain pace after bouncing but not to deviate literally.
Track: Substitute word for the cricket pitch.
Twelfth Man: An emergency fielder.
Wicket: Three wooden stumps having bails on top. Wickets are pitched opposite and parallel to each other, 22 yards apart. The term is also used to describe the pitch.
Wicket-Maiden: An over in which no runs scored by the batsman but at least one wicket falls.
Wide: A ball high over or wide of the wicket and it must signaled by the umpire as "wide" and as a penalty, a run is added to the score.
Yorker: A ball pitched just near the bat or batsman's toes, batsman has to stop it very quickly otherwise ball passes underneath the bat to hit the wickets. |
